About the RTA Music City Star...
Q: When does the Music City Star Operate?
A: The RTA Music City Star operates Monday through Friday. For specific times, refer to the train's operating schedule.
Q: Where can I purchase tickets for the RTA Music City Star?
A: One-way single-trip tickets can be purchased for $5 at Ticket Vending Machines located at each station. The machines accept either $5 or $20 bills only; they do not accept credit cards.
Pre-purchased single-trip tickets, 10-trip tickets and monthly passes are available at discounted prices and can be purchased at the following locations:
- Mt. Juliet and Lebanon City Halls
- Donelson Senior Center
- Sumner County Administration building
- Select Kroger stores along the corridor
- Riverfront Station, Nashvile, 6:30 a.m. to 9 a.m., and 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Ten-trip tickets and monthly passes can also be purchased online on the Tickets & Schedules page.
Q: How will RTA Music City Star passengers get to their workplaces once they arrive at Riverfront Station?
A: There are two timed, Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), connecting buses that leave from Riverfront Station shortly after the commuter train arrives. Route 93 Music City Star West End Shuttle travels up Broadway, West End and over to the Vanderbilt U./Belmont U. area. Route 94 Music City Star Downtown Shuttle makes a loop through downtown. Passengers can use their RTA Music City Star ticket to board the buses. Passengers who work in other areas of the city can catch the Route 94 and exit at Music City Central to catch a bus to their final destination. Commuters who have an RTA Music City Star monthly pass will also receive a MTA proximity card, at no additional cost to the customer, to pay for an MTA bus to get them to their workplace.
Q: What route will the RTA-sponsored connecting buses take?
A: Maps showing the bus routes and schedules are available on the Connecting Bus Service page. The buses are timed to meet the trains as they arrive at Riverfront Station.
Q: How can I find where the RTA Music City Star stations are located?
A: Maps to each station are available on the individual station pages on this Web site.
Q: How long does it take commuters to get to work using the RTA Music City Star?
A: The ride on the train is not impacted by weather or traffic, so passengers will arrive at work on time every time. It will take approximately 50 minutes from Lebanon to Downtown; 40 minutes from Martha; 30 minutes from Mt. Juliet; 20 minutes from Hermitage and 15 minutes from Donelson. Time on the train commute can be spent reading, relaxing or even taking a nap.
Q: Where can RTA Music City Star passengers park their cars?
A: Each of the outlying stations, Lebanon, Martha, Mt. Juliet, Hermitage and Donelson, have Park and Ride lots. There is no charge for train passengers to use the lots. The lots are paved and security patrolled.
Q: How many parking spaces do the Park and Ride lots have? Are there ADA spaces for people with disabilities?
A: Lebanon – 186 spaces, with 6 ADA spaces; Martha – 73 spaces, with 2 ADA spaces; Mt. Juliet – 168 spaces, with 6 ADA spaces; Hermitage – 240 spaces, with 8 ADA spaces; Donelson – 218 spaces, with 10 ADA spaces.
Q: Are there restrooms on the RTA Music City Star?
A: There are no restrooms on the trains. Riverfront Station is equipped with restrooms.
Q: Are the RTA Music City Star trains fully accessible?
A: Yes. Each rail car is ADA compatible. There are spaces for wheelchairs in each car and the conductor will use a manual bridge plate on the mini-high platform at the stations to assist those using wheelchairs in boarding and exiting the train.
Q: Why isn’t there more regional rail service to the Lebanon Station?
A: The reason the first train in the afternoon and the second train in the morning do not go out to the Lebanon Station is because of equipment and track constraints. The rail line is a single track with only one passing track in Donelson. The RTA is working to develop a regional rail system that meets the needs of as many potential riders as possible.
Q: How do RTA Music City Star passengers get home if they have an emergency during the day?
A: The Regional Transportation Authority has an Emergency Ride Home Program (ERH) that is designed to provide regular users of the train with a way home in the case of an emergency. In order to utilize the ERH, commuters must be registered in the program, and they have to take the RTA Music City Star at least 15 times per month. Commuters will receive eight vouchers per calendar year that can be used in the case of an emergency only. Emergencies are described as sickness, an emergency concerning a family member or having to work unscheduled overtime. For more information, refer to the Emergency Ride Home Program page.
Q: Will there be an evening and weekend schedule for RTA Music City Star passengers to go to dinner and entertainment events in Nashville?
A: The primary purpose of regional rail is to get commuters to and from work. The goal of the RTA and the RTA Music City Star is to get commuters along the East Corridor to and from their jobs, while reducing congestion on the roadways and limiting air pollution during the peak morning and afternoon hours.
There is a late train that operates on Friday evenings only. This train allows citizens living along the corridor to get downtown, have dinner or visit the Frist, etc., and return to their station on a 9:30 p.m. train departing Riverfront Station. There are also times the RTA runs special event or charter trains to entertainment events.
Q: Is there room on the RTA Music City Star for passengers to bring aboard their bicycles?
A: Yes. Passengers can bring their bikes aboard the RTA Music City Star. Each car will have an area for bikes.
Q: What is Regional Rail?
A: Regional rail typically uses existing freight track and links a suburban area to the inner city, making fewer stops at stations along the corridor. Regional rail uses diesel fuel. Regional rail is unlike light rail or subway rail systems that carry passengers over shorter distances and make more frequent stops. Those systems also typically are powered by electricity.
